Dunster Squibb House
Capital Level II
Grant Award: $222,349 (2019) Grant Recipient: Friends of Historic Bernardsville County: SomersetMunicipality: Bernardsville
The house was constructed in the early nineteenth century, sometime before 1839. The original three-bay vernacular house was enlarged to five bays around 1850. Originally part of a 120-acre farm, its current 3.9 acres contains the house, a combination cottage/barn/garage, a smoke house and stone retaining wall. The property also contains a community garden. The property is first associated with Oliver Dunster, but in the late 1890s Charles Squibb purchased the property as part of his much larger estate. He converted the house into a Colonial Revival with Craftsman details guest house for his estate. In 1914 because of financial setbacks, Squibb and his family moved from their main house on the estate to this house. Squibb family descendants continued to live in the house until 2008. The Bernardsville Borough purchased the property in 2008 using NJ Green Acres Open Space funds.
The Trust grant will help fund structural repairs to the main house as well as exterior painting of the Barn/Carriage.